By: Liam W. Cooney | Public Relations Coordinator
If you turn on Fox News tonight, you are likely to find a host of political anchors raving about President Donald Trump. They seem to see him as immeasurably perfect, politically invincible—as if he could walk on water in front of you.
Switch over to CNN or MSNBC. There, you’ll likely find anchors analyzing the same political talking points. Yet they find President Trump and the Republican party to be “a threat to Democracy,” scum of the earth. The channel paints a picture as if Trump was the Devil himself.
This level of discrepancy in opinion and analysis leaves many confused, frustrated, hesitant to share their own political views. With so much hostility present from both sides of the political aisle, it’s difficult to understand where the truth lays. Surely, there must still be centrist-minded people who represent common values, don’t actually think that “the other side” is here to “destroy America,” and have the ability to work with others who think differently than them.
Luckily, you can look no further than comedian and political talk-show host Bill Maher. Host of HBO’s Real Time With Bill Maher and his podcast Club Random With Bill Maher, Maher brings a refreshing, insightful and comedic voice to American politics and socio-cultural issues. On top of this, he brings in celebrities, politicians, and social figures from all political backgrounds, purposefully allowing for all sides to be heard.
What I enjoy so much about Maher’s productions (aside from the pure comedy) is the fact that he is not afraid to call out the lunacy of modern-day liberalism and conservatism.
In a Real Time episode from January of 2022 titled “How the Left Was Lost,” Maher calls out the insanity of the Democratic party. He believes there is a lack of common sense values many current Democrats display. “Let’s get this straight, it’s not me who’s changed. It’s the left who is now made up of a small contingent of people who have gone mental… A large contingent who refuse to call them out for it, but I will.”
Maher highlights a tweet by Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) that reads, “Cancel Rent, Cancel Mortgage, Cancel Student Debt.” He then continues the rant by highlighting how Seattle Public Schools proposed that math education is racist, and that even President Abraham Lincoln, the man who led the Union through the Civil War and freed the slaves, is not immune from our pervasive cancel culture.
Maher, too, is not afraid to call out the madness on the right, which in today’s Republican party often manifests itself through diehard MAGA devotion. An April 2025 episode of Real Time titled “Trump Devotion Syndrome” includes Maher referencing the godlike following Trump holds from his most dear supporters. He also states that he “doesn’t want to live in North Korea,” hinting towards the forced following North Korean leader Kim Jon Un receives and the criticism of being a dictator that Trump often receives from his opposition.
Maher makes some good points, first noting how White House Communications Director Steven Cheung had this to say about Trump being named Board Chair of the Kennedy Center: “[Trump] is a virtuoso, and his musical choices represent a brilliant palette of vibrant colors when others often paint in pale pastels.” The audience in attendance then laughs in shock at the level of reverence held for the man by his closest advisors.
He speaks next on the many GOP bills that have been proposed with the intention of celebrating Trump. A few to note would be Trump’s proposals to make his birthday a national holiday, introducing his face onto the $100 bill, and last but not least, etching his face into Mount Rushmore.
What is so particularly demeaning in our current political society, however, is not that the left is “woke,” or that the right is “MAGA.” It is the inability to sit down with one another and have genuine conversation. To his credit, Maher made the effort to do exactly that recently, meeting with President Trump for dinner at the White House. In a recent Real Time episode titled “Mr. Maher Goes to Washington,” Maher recaps his visit to the White House and meeting with Trump, an event set up by mutual friend, Kid Rock.
Maher begins by hilariously showing the audience a printout piece of paper that features 60+ excerpts of Trump’s descriptive words towards the comedian. “Stupid, dummy, low-life dummy, sleeze-bag, sick, sad, stone-cold, crazy, really a dumb guy, furred like a dog, his show is dead…”
Towards the end of the monologue, Maher explained that Trump was more reserved and decent than he is on camera. He highlighted how he, Trump, and the rest of the table spoke of massive domestic and global issues that will continue to define the Trump presidency moving forward, bridging the gap between the two rivals from “3,000 miles away.” He specifically noted a few agreements that the two were able to share: that Gaza could be “Dubai” instead of “hell,” moving the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, and much more.
Liberal analysts immediately blasted Maher following the dinner, with Former ESPN and MSNBC commentator Keith Olbermann tweeting: “BTW don’t overanalyze Maher prostituting himself to Trump…” “Curb Your Enthusiasm” star Larry David then fired the next shot by writing an Op-Ed in the New York Times, titled “My Dinner with Adolf.” These individuals certainly have the right to their own opinion, but where does it get them? Where does it get us as a society?
Maher simply reported the facts of the case, gave his comedic yet highly reasonable political take on it, and allowed the audience to see it as they may. For many Trump supporters, this dinner and Real Time episode is likely a joy to see. For centrist-minded people, it’s may be somewhat positive, but at the very least entertaining. For anti-Trumpers, it likely did not change their perspective of the man. However, what they hopefully took is that bridging the gap is a positive thing. Conversation is always a good thing, regardless of opinions.
From my perspective, people who live out-of-touch lives, such as Olbermann who was fired from both ESPN and MSNBC, are the true issue in our nation’s state of political affairs. Just the occurrence of a relatively high-profile figure such as Bill Maher having a dinner with the President is enough for a social media tirade from Olbermann. From this perspective, these child-like antics are no better than Trump’s.
Both political parties have massive question marks moving into the 2028 presidential election cycle. For the Republicans, you have become far too MAGA. Who will be your next nominee and how will the party look in four years time? Current Vice President J.D. Vance? Former Florida Senator and Current Secretary of State Marco Rubio? Florida governor Ron DeSantis? Or perhaps another pick… Nonetheless, the GOP has to begin searching for a new identity post-Trump.
For the Democrats, it’s time to become more moderate. Members such as Olbermann, who do not truly represent everyday Americans, have painted an image of an out-of-touch party base. Far-left social issues, many of which Maher named, have alienated centrist Democrats away from the party and towards the right. Recently, we have seen New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders do some touring, perhaps testing the waters of what could be the ticket in 2028. Is this the tag-team that Democrats think could win over centrist-leaning voters next time around? Another huge question mark.
Maher, while never having held political office, is the sort of sensible, common-sense, centrist voice that our current political climate so desperately lacks. Rather than holding allegiance to a party, he holds allegiance to a set of core ideas.
To be clear, I am not proclaiming Maher as a hero since he met with Trump and spoke highly of the visit. Instead, I believe that his centrist values, open mind and balanced approach to politics is something our country needs today.
As is always the case, the truth is usually somewhere in the middle. And to me, Bill Maher and his platform portrays mainstream common sense and centrist values far more than other political show, media network or analyst I have come across. We can all learn a thing or two from centrist voices who have a track record of non-allegiance to a particular “side.” For a great insight into American politics and social issues, as well as a really good laugh, look no further than Mr. Maher.
Photos from WikiCommons.
